


His Home

by ShadCat



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Canon, Difficult Decisions, Feels, M/M, One Shot, Self-Reflection, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:42:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24794848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadCat/pseuds/ShadCat
Summary: Ardyn and Verstael are a loving couple. But Ardyn fears that he is a threat to Verstael's well-being and must now make an important decision.
Relationships: Verstael Besithia/Ardyn Izunia
Comments: 11
Kudos: 19





	His Home

Ardyn smiled softly as he kissed Verstael on the forehead. A gentle touch of his lips while Verstael slept soundly.

The immortal king smiled as he looked at his sleeping face. The scientist looked so much younger when he slept. So peaceful, so free from worry. Verstael always looked always stressed in his everyday life. The responsibility to win this war lay on his shoulders and it weighed heavily, Ardyn could understand this. He still remembered what it was like to live with consequences. He would like to release Verstael from this burden, but he feared that he would worry him even more.

Now the time had come when he had to go. When he had to leave him.

Ardyn was grateful to Verstael. Not only had this blonde maniac saved him from the cave, from his torture chamber for eternity, he had also reminded him of what love was. Ardyn had almost forgotten. How great it was to love another person and how much freedom it gave him when he could trust someone unconditionally. Verstael was such a person. He would never betray Ardyn, he could never hate him. He accepted him as he was, even his demonic nature, and still loved him. He loved him as if he were a normal person and not as if he were a monster, which was cursed by the gods themselves. Well, that probably spoke for Verstael's madness too, but that was fine. Ardyn had fallen in love with this madness so much that he never wanted to miss it at Verstael. Who else knew a man who was so happy that he could painfully turn people into daemons in his laboratory? Just to torture the daemons with further experiments. Ardyn found his lover's joy in those events lovable. It was unique.

The immortal king had been so sure of hating and loathing all of humanity. He thought he wanted to plunge the world into darkness and enjoy the excruciating screams of death. But he never wanted to see this one person suffer. This one man who had managed to enchant him like this. Which was the reason why Ardyn had to go. The immortal king knew the future. He knew that it was his fate to find his death in the fight against the King of Light and he also knew that Verstael would die if he stayed with him. And he didn't want Verstael to die because of him. Ardyn didn't want to see the miasma take hold of him and change him until he was no longer himself. He didn't want to see how Verstael suffered just because he was his partner. Ardyn wanted Verstael to be happy. Even if that meant he had to break their hearts.

It hadn't taken long for Verstael and he to become a couple after Ardyn was rescued from the cave. They understood each other on a level that probably no other person did. They were happy and insane together. Verstael knew the immortal king better than anyone else and this was the reason why the scientist had sensed that something was different today. Ardyn had stayed on Verstael’s side all day and kept telling him how much he loved him. He had told him what he loved about him and what he would miss if Verstael weren't there. And when they went to bed together at night, they had loved each other so intensely, as if there was no tomorrow. Ardyn could no longer count the number of times he had driven Verstael to climax.

Oh yes, the scientist knew something was different. He knew Ardyn was up to something and he also knew that he couldn't stop him, so he hadn't said anything. Before falling asleep, Ardyn and Verstael had cuddled their naked bodies very close together and Verstael had put his head on the pillow next to Ardyn, so that they could look into each other's eyes. These beautiful blue eyes had looked up at Ardyn before the scientist stroked his unshaven cheek with his smaller hand.

“You know your home is here Ardyn, don't you? Here with me. Your home is not Lucis and it is not the place the gods choose for you. It’s the place where you are always welcome. And this place, your home, is by my side."

Ardyn had smiled at these beautiful, loving words. A gentle, warm smile as he felt such an incredibly deep love towards Verstael. A home. The immortal king had believed for an infinitely long time that he had no place in this world anymore. That his home was lost with his mortal life. But Verstael was right, he had given him more than just freedom and his love. He had given him a home.

"I know. And I will never forget this, whatever may happen.”

Ardyn had spoken his words tenderly and Verstael had nodded. Then they kissed. A kiss that spoke of their affection and their time together before they simply continued to cuddle in bed. Ardyn had noticed how much Verstael had struggled not to fall asleep. How hard he had tried to keep himself awake, as if he was afraid that everything would end with his sleep. But at some point Verstael had lost the fight against his own body and fell asleep.

The immortal king remained in bed for a while. He had enjoyed Verstael's body heat and listened to his breath. Ardyn had closed his eyes and thought about all their moments together. Their laugh together, their torture of the poor test objects, their dinners together and so much more.

It was so difficult for him to get out of bed and get dressed. But he couldn't stay. If he loved Verstael, he couldn't put him at risk. He couldn't ruin his life just because his own was already lost.

Still, Ardyn noticed how he hesitated. He felt his hands shake slightly as he left the bedroom after kissing his forehead. His legs felt so heavy and Ardyn took a deep breath. It was in the middle of the night. Nobody would stop him. And if Verstael woke up the next morning, Ardyn would be so far away that no human soul would find him.

It was the right decision. It was the right thing to protect his Verstael, no matter what it cost. As much as it would hurt him.

Ardyn forced himself to go on. He forced himself to stick to his own decision. But when he stood outside in the snow, he stopped.

The immortal king stood alone in the dark of the night, the research facility behind him and the cold snow in front of him, which seemed to sparkle in the moonlight.

He could still change his mind. Verstael could wake up tomorrow and find an empty bed next to him; or Ardyn himself, smiling charmingly, as if nothing had happened the previous night.

Ardyn paused for a while and noticed how it started to snow before he was looking back over his shoulder. Back to where Verstael was. Back to where his home was. Was it the right decision?

**Author's Note:**

> Which decision would be the right one? <3


End file.
